Sleep Disorders
Sleep Apnea
Sleep Apnea Guide
- Overview
- Types
- Symptoms
- Surprising Signs
- Health Effects
- Causes
- Treatment
- Alternative Treatments
- Treatment Costs
- Natural Remedies
- Devices
- Facts
From Weight Loss to Surgery, Potential Fixes Abound
ByBrandon Peters, MD
Updated on July 01, 2022
Medically reviewed byJenny Sweigard, MD
If you have been diagnosed with sleep apnea, the first treatment option offered will likely be continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP), but what if you need alternative treatments for your sleep apnea? There can be major hurdles to tolerating CPAP, and if you can’t overcome these, you aren't totally out of luck. There are a handful of other treatment options that might offer relief, ranging from home remedies like weight loss to avoiding alcohol or raising the head of the bed and medical therapy like oral appliances and surgery. Discover what might work best for you.
1
Losing Weight
Being obese is often a major contributor to having sleep apnea. If this is the case, shedding a few pounds (often at least 10% of body weight) may correct the situation. Extra weight can narrow your airway, depositing fat at the base of the tongue, and make it more prone to collapse. If this is the case, diet and exercise may be all the treatment that you need. Unfortunately, many people have multiple contributions to having sleep apnea, and maintaining your ideal body weight may not be a complete fix for everyone.
How Weight Loss Can Improve Your Sleep
2
Position Therapy
You may be someone who snores or has more sleep apnea when you sleep on your back. If this is the case, you may find that sleeping on your side is the solution. This may be accomplished by propping your body with a pile of pillows. Another solution is to sew a tennis ball into the back of a T-shirt. Wearing this to bed will keep you from shifting to your back while you are asleep. There are also more expensive positioners including Slumber Bump, Zzoma, and Night Shift.
What about raising the head of the bed? Some people have decreased apnea if they have the head of their bed slightly elevated. This can be accomplished by using a sleep wedge pillow, which is a ramp of foam that is highest at the head of the bed. In some cases, an adjustable bed can be used to raise the head enough to eliminate snoring and help apnea. Newer beds may try to automate these adjustments for you.
Sleep Positions and Devices for Snoring
3
Oral Appliances
There are specially designed oral appliances or dental devices that may be helpful in correcting anatomical problems. If you have a short or recessed jaw, a mandibular advancement device may move things into better position. This shifts the tongue forward and reduces crowding within the airway. It is typically specially fitted at a specialty dentist’s office. It is worn at night and it can successfully treat mild to moderate sleep apnea for some people. It may have some side effects, however, including discomfort, dry mouth, teeth movement, or jaw joint issues.
4
Avoidance of Sedatives and Alcohol
The use of sedatives and alcohol can relax the muscles of your upper airway and make it more prone to collapse. Avoiding these agents in the hours before bedtime may improve your symptoms of sleep apnea and snoring. You may also need to be careful about the use of prescription medication such as sleeping pills and narcotic pain medications.
Alcohol and Sleep Apnea
5
Surgery
There are multiple surgical options that may be deployed. Historically, the most common is called uvulopalatopharyngoplasty (UPPP). UPPP is the surgical removal of excess tissue in the upper airway, including the back of the mouth and the throat. It may improve snoring, but sleep apnea may persist. Surgery of the soft palate alone is also possible. Other (more extreme) options include tracheostomy, which is a surgical incision at the front of the windpipe. Removal of the tonsils and adenoids may be helpful in select cases, especially in children. There is also the option of surgical advancement of the jaw. Tonsillectomy may be the first treatment choice in children, but surgical options are otherwise typically a second-line therapy in adults.
Surgery for Obstructive Sleep Apnea
A Word From Verywell
If you struggle to improve your breathing during sleep, seek assistance from a board-certified sleep medicine physician who will be able to provider further personalized advice.
5 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read our editorial process to learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
Schwartz AR, Patil SP, Laffan AM, Polotsky V, Schneider H, Smith PL. Obesity and obstructive sleep apnea: pathogenic mechanisms and therapeutic approaches.Proc Am Thorac Soc. 2008;5(2):185–192. doi:10.1513/pats.200708-137MG
Menon A, Kumar M. Influence of body position on severity of obstructive sleep apnea: a systematic review.ISRN Otolaryngol. 2013;2013:670381. Published 2013 Oct 8. doi:10.1155/2013/670381
Sutherland K, Vanderveken OM, Tsuda H, et al. Oral appliance treatment for obstructive sleep apnea: an update.J Clin Sleep Med. 2014;10(2):215–227. Published 2014 Feb 15. doi:10.5664/jcsm.3460
Simou E, Britton J, Leonardi-Bee J. Alcohol and the risk of sleep apnoea: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Sleep Med. 2018;42:38–46. doi:10.1016/j.sleep.2017.12.005
Khan A, Ramar K, Maddirala S, Friedman O, Pallanch JF, Olson EJ. Uvulopalatopharyngoplasty in the management of obstructive sleep apnea: the mayo clinic experience.Mayo Clin Proc. 2009;84(9):795–800. doi:10.1016/S0025-6196(11)60489-8
Additional Reading
Kryger, MH et al. Principles and Practice of Sleep Medicine. ExpertConsult, 6th edition, 2016.
Mowzoon, N et al. Neurology of Sleep Disorders. Neurology Board Review: An Illustrated Guide. 2007; 726.
By Brandon Peters, MD
Dr. Peters is a board-certified neurologist and sleep medicine specialist and is a fellow of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine.
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